Volcanic encounters: Metamorsi Comfort Food

Metamorsi is a restaurant in Nola (Naples) that owner-chef Alfonso Crisci has given a truly original and authentic identity to, a place where you can enjoy excellent food made with local ingredients.

Metamorsi is the second home of Alfonso Crisci, who is also the owner-chef of Taverna Vesuviana, a place where skill and innovation are combined with refined, traditional cuisine. Alfonso’s new restaurant also has its roots in tradition but focuses on pizza, burgers, tapas and street food. It is an original, colorful and modern restaurant that attracts a heterogeneous clientele that want a broad choice when they eat out. Alfonso Crisci has created a menu using ingredients from local producers to ensure the freshness and high quality of his dishes. This also applies to his choice of the flour used to make pizza: artisanal and stone-ground flour.

The pizza is made by two young pizzaioli, Carmine Nunziata and Gianni Ostrettico, who despite their age have already had important work experiences. The pizza menu is very assorted and, aside from the classic versions, includes a pizza with five varieties of tomato, one with cod and a pizza with caramelized onions.

The sauces and emulsions used to make the pizza toppings, tapas and sandwiches are exclusively made by Metamorsi staff as are the fried foods. Despite the wide range of foods offered – including cod prepared in a slew of different versions – pizza dominates the menu.

During the “Volcanic Encounters” event, which I was fortunate to attend, Chef Alfonso Crisci and the Metamorsi staff were joined by master pizzaiolo Giuseppe Pignalosa of the Le Parùle pizzeria.

For the occasion, Pignalosa prepared his pizza Parùle, a specialty of his restaurant in Ercolano and made with buffalo mozzarella, Neapolitan papaccelle tomatoes and capers. An authentic delight in which the dry and light dough showcased all the ingredients.

The gastronomic evening kicked off with a Campania region must: pan-baked pizza with escarole prepared with two layers of dough stuffed with escarole, walnuts and anchovies by the Metamorsi pizzaioli. This was followed by a classic, light and soft pizza Margherita. The pizzas were followed by a Black Meat sandwich which Chef Crisci made with Black Angus beef, confit tomatoes, shaved Parmigiano and arugula.

The evening ended with a loose Sicilian cassata enriched with Vesuvius apricots: wonderful.

Metamorsi is a place with an authentic and original identity where you can enjoy excellent foods made with local ingredients.

The wine, beer and spirit lists is also good.

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